Signed for a measly £300k in summer 2024 from third tier Viktoria Köln, the Bundesliga outfit took a punt on the teenage winger who'd broken into the Viktoria first-team on the back of an impressive and very impactful season in the U19 Bundesliga West.
Köln couldn't register him in their squad for the 2024/25 season due to a transfer embargo, so he was sent back on loan to Viktoria, with whom he'd enjoy a breakout campaign, two divisions below.
El Mala exploded, scoring 13 goals and adding five assists in 32 appearances for Viktoria, including five strikes in his final seven outings.
Bayern face transfer battle from Premier League club Brighton
Arriving in the Bundesliga, he's continued on the same trajectory, putting his all-killer-no-filler playing style to devastating use.
Don't expect El Mala to contribute to multiple phases of play, but when he gets the ball on the left flank, defenders know he's going to run fast and run hard at goal.
FourFourTwo's long-running 'The Boy's A Bit Special' feature has been going since the magazine's first issue, highlighting the best young players in the United Kingdom and abroad.
As of September 2025, we've given it a revamp. Our youth football expert Joe Donnohue will be profiling four teenagers each month, explaining why they're, well, a bit special.
Directness is the name of the game with El Mala and you can expect to see a lot more of him on bigger European stages before long.
Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, known for their data-first approach to scouting have seemingly identified the newly-christened German international as a top transfer target this summer.
The Seagulls are keen to add the 19-year-old to their ranks, which includes an impressive, and ever-growing, cohort of Europe's best teenagers, in the hope that one or two will come good in the Premier League.
Naturally, for a player coming out of Germany, Bayern Munich are interested with the Bundesliga giants' leading boardroom figures already discussing the player's progress. Therefore, there is every chance he will be persuaded to choose Munich over Sussex. But, watch this space, Brighton have been known to offer a compelling argument in recent times - and Bayern do have Luis Diaz on the left flank for the foreseeable.
DID YOU KNOW: Said and his elder brother Malek were released by Borussia Monchengladbach and reportedly rejected by 13 clubs before Viktoria Köln offered contracts to the pair
